Raggedy Ann facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Ann meets Raggedy Andy for the first time; illustrated by Johnny Gruelle
First appearance	Raggedy Ann Stories
Created by	Johnny Gruelle
Information
Gender	Female
Nationality	American

Raggedy Ann is a famous character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938). She first appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with bright red yarn for hair and a small triangle nose.

Gruelle received a special patent for his Raggedy Ann doll on September 7, 1915. The doll was created in 1915. She was introduced to the public in the 1918 book Raggedy Ann Stories. When the doll was sold along with the book, it became very popular. A second book, Raggedy Andy Stories (1920), introduced her brother, Raggedy Andy. Other characters, like Beloved Belindy, also became dolls and appeared in the books.

How Raggedy Ann Got Her Name

On June 17, 1915, Johnny Gruelle applied for a special trademark for the name Raggedy Ann. He created this name by combining words from two poems by James Whitcomb Riley. These poems were "The Raggedy Man" and "Little Orphant Annie". Riley was a well-known poet from Indiana and a friend of the Gruelle family. The U.S. Patent Office officially registered Gruelle's trademark for the Raggedy Ann name on November 23, 1915.

Early Books and Doll Design

Raggedy Ann Stories (1918) was the first book about Raggedy Ann and her friends. Johnny Gruelle wrote and illustrated it. The book also shared Gruelle's own story of how the doll came to be. Two years later, Gruelle introduced Raggedy Ann's brother, Raggedy Andy, in the book Raggedy Andy Stories (1920).

Gruelle's U.S. Patent design for what became known as the Raggedy Ann doll

At first, Gruelle's family might have made a few Raggedy Ann dolls by hand in Norwalk, Connecticut. This helped to promote the books. But soon, Gruelle made a deal with his main publisher, P. F. Volland Company. They started making and selling many Raggedy Ann dolls.

Besides his 1915 patent for the Raggedy Ann doll, Gruelle also patented a design for a boy doll in 1920. Soon after Raggedy Andy appeared in books in 1920, he also became a doll sold by Volland.

After the first Raggedy Ann book was a hit, Gruelle kept writing and illustrating new stories. He created at least one Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy story every year until he passed away in 1938. He also wrote songs for children, like "Raggedy Ann's Sunny Songs" (1930).

Later in his life, Gruelle worked with his son, Worth, on some of his books. These included Raggedy Ann and the Golden Meadow (1935). They also created a series of Raggedy Ann proverbs for newspapers. By 1938, the year Johnny Gruelle died, his first Raggedy Ann book had sold over 3 million copies.

Sales of Raggedy Ann dolls also grew quickly. The P. F. Volland Company first ordered 24 dozen dolls. Within eight months, they ordered about 3,200 dolls. As the dolls became more popular, Gruelle gave Volland the only right to make and sell them. This was as long as Volland remained the only publisher of his books.

Raggedy Ann's Lasting Impact

By the end of the 1940s, more than 7 million Raggedy Ann books had been sold. The Bobbs-Merrill Company in Indianapolis became the official publisher for Raggedy Ann books in 1962. The Knickerbocker Toy Company started making the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls in the early 1960s. Today, Simon & Schuster and Hasbro own the trademarks for the Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Ann and Andy names.

The original patent for the 1915 doll design is now in the public domain. This means anyone can use it. The books Raggedy Ann Stories (1918) and Raggedy Andy Stories (1920) are also in the public domain.

Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls and other items related to them are now popular collector's items. Besides dolls and books, new items are still being made. These include comic books, audio stories, animated movies, and TV shows.

Awards and Tributes

The Raggedy Ann doll was honored by being added to the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. This happened on March 27, 2002. Raggedy Andy was also added to the Hall of Fame five years later, on November 8, 2007.

Books About Raggedy Ann

Johnny Gruelle, Raggedy Ann's creator, wrote and illustrated many books. After he died in 1938, many other books were released. Some were even credited to him. Other writers and illustrators also created Raggedy Ann stories. For example, Ethel Hays illustrated most of the Raggedy Ann stories published by Saalfield Publishing Company starting in 1944.

Books by Johnny Gruelle

Books by Johnny Gruelle, Illustrated by Others

Books by Other Authors

Raggedy Ann and Andy's Grow and Learn Library

This is a collection of twenty books. Each story teaches a lesson, like how to stay friends when someone moves away. Raggedy Ann and Andy live in Marcella's playroom. They live with many other toys like Babette the French doll, Raggedy dog, and Sunny Bunny.

Other Ways Raggedy Ann Appears

The Raggedy Ann and Andy stories have been made into many other forms. The characters have appeared in movies, TV shows, and more.

Animated Movies and Shorts

• Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios short films:
  • Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy (1941)
  • Suddenly It's Spring (1944)
  • The Enchanted Square (1947)
• Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977)

Theatre Shows

• Raggedy Ann and Andy (1981)
• Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure (1986)

Television Shows

• Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Great Santa Claus Caper (1978)
• Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile (1979)
• The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy (1988–1990)

Audio Recordings

Comic Books

Doll Makers

A Raggedy Ann 100-year edition doll

Many companies have made Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls over the years:

• P. F. Volland Company (1920-1934)
• Beers, Keelier, and Bowman (early maker of Raggedy Andy dolls)
• Exposition Doll and Toy Company (1935)
• Georgene Novelties (1938-1962)
• Knickerbocker Toy Co. (1963-1982)
• Applause Toy Company/Russ Berrie (1983-2011)
• Hasbro/Playskool (1983–present)
• Aurora World Inc. (2012–present)

How the Dolls Were Made

At first, Gruelle's family might have made a few Raggedy Ann dolls by hand. This helped to promote the books. But soon, Gruelle made a deal with P. F. Volland Company, his main publisher. They started making and selling many Raggedy Ann dolls. Early Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls were made by different companies. They were not always sold as matching pairs.

Between 1918 and 1926, the Non-Breakable Toy Company made over 75,000 dolls for Volland. By the late 1920s, Volland was ordering 4,000 Raggedy Ann dolls each month. When Volland stopped working during the Great Depression, they had already sold over 150,000 dolls and nearly 2 million Raggedy Ann books.

In 1935, Gruelle allowed the Exposition Doll and Toy Manufacturing Company to make and sell official Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. From 1935 to 1937, Molly-'Es Doll Outfitters made and sold dolls without permission. But a court decision stopped them from making and selling the dolls.

Raggedy Ann in Pop Culture

• A Raggedy Ann balloon first appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1984. It flew for two years.
• The famous Annabelle doll, which some people believe is cursed, is a Raggedy Ann doll.

Where to See Raggedy Ann Items

Gruelle's hometown of Arcola, Illinois, used to host the annual Raggedy Ann and Andy Festival. It also had the Raggedy Ann and Andy Museum. The museum closed and the festival ended in 2009. Some of the museum's items were given to The Strong National Museum of Play. Other parts of the collection were moved to the Rockome Gardens theme park in Arcola.

See also

In Spanish: Raggedy Ann para niños